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Join our Fantasy SRP leagueMatt Reid's Sunday racing preview at Hobart (15/02)
Matt Reid • February 12th, 2026 4:08 pm
No one could deny trainer Amanda Jones a bit of luck when she takes Smash ‘N’ Grab to the Hobart races on Sunday.
Jones has just three horses in work, but from her last six starters, she has finished runner-up four times. Her most recent second placing was last Sunday when Speed Rock was grabbed late by Victorian visitor No Rumours.
Speed Rock was also second two runs back, narrowly beaten on 25 January.
Jones’ other two placings were with Geegeechaser, who has now been tipped out for a spell after finishing second in Hobart on 18 January and in Devonport on 7 January.
“Yeah, I just keep getting second, but I’m sure I will get there eventually,” Jones said optimistically.
“I can’t complain, though, they are earning cheques.”
A hobby trainer who took out her licence two years ago, Jones has had just one win, that was Geegeeschaser in April 2024, but from less than 50 starters in that time, she has had 11 placegetters.
On Sunday, Smash ‘N’ Grab will line up in the 1000m maiden after a freshen up. At her last run, she finished sixth in Launceston over 1400m on 23 January.
“I’m still not convinced 1400m is her trip, so I’ve freshened her up for the 1000m. From barrier six, she will be able to go forward, so hopefully she’s there at the finish.
“I’ve taken the blinkers off and put the winkers back on just because she is so quick out of the barriers, and I’m hoping she might relax a bit more and have a bit more at the finish.”
Smash ‘N’ Grab has been placed three times from 21 starts, one of those placings has been at the 1000m distance, which was at Dalby in Queensland, before the mare joined the Jones’ stable.
Bulent Muhcu will ride Smash ‘N’ Grab; the race is the first on the card.
Hobart Cup-winning jockey Erica Byrne Burke looks set to continue in her winning way. She has been booked for rides in all eight races at the Hobart meeting, including the consistent Southern Auroras and the promising Coal River, who look hard to beat in their respective races.
Byrne Burke is enjoying a standout year. Her Hobart Cup win on Blonde Star was her 50th of the season, and she holds a commanding 14-win lead in the Tasmanian Jockeys’ premiership.
